we have marcus aurelius as an idealistic young man and as the weary philosopher emperor who was to die on a lonely frontier. we have the portrait of this aristocratic beauty the flavi period, osslave rls must have beenonstantly busy with the curling iron. and by contrast, the accid ir d carernxpn decius ruled an empiremore d in her declini yea., by barbarians at its borders and by civil strife within. looking for scapegoats, he ordered the first systematic persecution of christians. a vision of the christian cross was said to have inspired the military victory of constantine over his rival for the imperial crown in the year 312. this colossal head is a portrait not of constantine the individual, but of his divinely inspired power. the senate honored him with the last triumphal arch built in rome. nervous about constantine's interest in christianity, the senators decorated it not only with new reliefs, but also with earlier works of trajan, hadrian, and marcus aurelius-- reminders of the glorious and pagan roman tradition. they reveal a remarkable change in roman art. the dynamic compos

. >>> kids are selling fireworks across from the marcus aurelius arch.at libya was once a vital part of the ancient roman empire. that was nearly 2,000 years ago. tonight i was told was going to be an even bigger, wilder celebration in martyrs square, but something has happened since last night. the british foreign office has just told all uk citizens to leave benghazi, libya's second largest city, due to an unspecified threat. the libyan government, such as it is, has denied any basis for such drastic action. a lone cherry bomb now and again, an awkward flurry of roman candles. the buzz of last night's chaotic party parched, big time. whether or not this is a result of the larger geopolitical situation, the vibe towards this western film crew seems apprehensive, uncertain. the following day feels better, somewhat. fresh produce is for sale on tripoli streets. if you were a small restaurant, or shopping for a big family, you'd bring cash, a wheelbarrow, and load up with what you need, but the revolution has brought changed tastes. libyans, especially you